Establishing Laboratory Cultures and Performing Ecological and Evolutionary Experiments with the Emerging Model Species Chironomus Riparius

Chironomus riparius is a well-established model organism in various fields such as ecotoxicology and ecology, and therefore environmental preferences, ecological interactions and metabolic traits are well-studied. With the recent publication of a high-quality draft genome, as well as different population genetic parameters such as mutation and recombination rate, the species can be used as an alternative to the Drosophila models in experimental population genomics or molecular ecology. To facilitate access to this promising experimental model species for a wider range of researchers, we describe experimental methods to first create and sustain long term cultures of C. riparius and then use …

Establishing laboratory cultures and performing ecological and evolutionary experiments with the emerging model speciesChironomus riparius

Chironomus riparius is a well‐established model organism in various fields such as ecotoxicology and ecology, and therefore, environmental preferences, ecological interactions and metabolic traits are well‐studied. With the recent publication of a high‐quality draft genome, as well as different population genetic parameters such as mutation and recombination rate, the species can be used as an alternative to the Drosophila models in experimental population genomics or molecular ecology. To facilitate access to this promising experimental model species for a wider range of researchers, we describe experimental methods to first create and sustain long‐term cultures of C. riparius and then use…

Establishing Laboratory Cultures and Performing Ecological and Evolutionary Experiments with the Emerging Model Species <em>Chironomus Riparius</em>

Chironomus riparius is a well-established model organism in various fields such as ecotoxicology and ecology, and therefore environmental preferences, ecological interactions and metabolic traits are well-studied. With the recent publication of a high-quality draft genome, as well as different population genetic parameters such as mutation and recombination rate, the species can be used as an alternative to the Drosophila models in experimental population genomics or molecular ecology. To facilitate access to this promising experimental model species for a wider range of researchers, we describe experimental methods to first create and sustain long term cultures of C. riparius and then use …

An experimental assessment of reproductive isolation and its consequences for seasonal hybridization dynamics

Rapid adaptation to high temperatures in Chironomus riparius

AbstractEffects of seasonal or daily temperature variation on fitness and physiology of ectothermic organisms and their ways to cope with such variations have been widely studied. However, the way multivoltines organisms cope with temperature variations from a generation to another is still not well understood and complex to identify. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the multivoltine midgeChironomus ripariusMeigen (1803) responds mainly via acclimation as predicted by current theories, or if rapid genetic adaptation is involved. To investigate this issue, a common garden approach has been applied. A mix of larvae from five European populations was raised in the laboratory at …

Genomic processes underlying rapid adaptation of a natural Chironomus riparius population to unintendedly applied experimental selection pressures

Evolve and Resquence (E&R) studies are a useful tool to study genomic processes during rapid adaptation, e.g., in the framework of adaptive responses to global climate change. We applied different thermal regimes to a natural Chironomus riparius (Diptera) population in an E&R framework to infer its evolutionary potential for rapid thermal adaptation. We exposed two replicates to three temperatures each (14°C, 20°C and 26°C) for more than two years, the experiment thus lasting 22, 44 or 65 generations, respectively. The two higher temperatures presented a priori moderate, respectively strong selection pressures. Life-cycle fitness tests revealed no appreciable adaptation to thermal regimes b…

Data from: Rapid adaptation to high temperatures in Chironomus riparius

Effects of seasonal or daily temperature variation on fitness and physiology of ectothermic organisms and their ways to cope with such variations have been widely studied. However, the way multivoltines organisms cope with temperature variations from a generation to another is still not well understood and complex to identify. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the multivoltine midge Chironomus riparius Meigen (1803) responds mainly via acclimation as predicted by current theories, or if rapid genetic adaptation is involved. To investigate this issue, a common garden approach has been applied. A mix of larvae from five European populations was raised in the laboratory at three …